Mr Leenerman, who served for two years on the Indianapolis and is now one of about 19 living survivors, said he had time to put on a life jacket before climbing overboard. The amount of oil in the water made him vomit almost immediately.

He clung to a group of men as they waited for rescue through four days and five nights.
“As long as we were together and stayed in a bunch we were fairly safe from the sharks,” he said, recounting his extraordinary tale of survival.

The story of the ship and her survivors has occupied a special place in the American psyche. They were the subject of countless books, documentaries and films.
The tale made for a chilling plot point in the Steven Spielberg blockbuster Jaws, when the fictional survivor Capt Quint describes the terror of waiting to be rescued while sharks snatched men in the water.

Arthur Leenerman, a 95-year-old survivor, said he had wished for years that the wreck would be found.

“We were wondering whether they would ever be able to find it or not,” he said. “I’m glad they found it and I hope I get a chance to have a closer look at the pictures.” But he added he was saddened that so many survivors and relatives of those lost at sea had died without ever having a chance to learn of her final resting place.

Don McCall Jr, whose father died earlier this year after surviving the sinking, said everyone connected to the ship would be a little more at peace
“It brings a little bit of closure to all those families and especially those survivors who can now see their shipmates’ final resting place,” he said.

The Indianapolis was returning from a secret mission to deliver parts for the atomic bomb which was later used on Hiroshima when she was hit by Japanese torpedoes on July 30, 1945.
What came next made the episode one of the most retold tales of America’s war.
The vessel sank in just 12 minutes giving survivors little time to use rescue equipment. No distress call was ever received and it was not until four days later, when a bomber on a routine mission spotted survivors, that the alarm was raised.